In 1918 Jones moved to Chicago. He worked as Chicago manager for publisher Clarence Williams. Jones began recording in 1923, making gramophone records as a piano soloist, accompanist to vocalists, and with his bands The Jazz Wizards and The Chicago Cosmopolitans. He recorded for Gennett, OKeh, Victor, and Paramount Records in the 1920s. He also worked for OKeh Records as Chicago supervisor of the company's "Race" (African-American) Records for most of the decade. During this period he was the producer of the very influential Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings led by cornetist (later trumpeter) Louis Armstrong, the most important soloist in early jazz. In the 1930s Jones played a similar management role for Decca.